The present invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly to electrical connectors used to interconnect electronic assemblies such as, for example, printed circuit boards, which are required to be mounted one adjacent another, often, but not necessarily, in a vertically-arranged stack. Such electronic assemblies will be referred to herein as xe2x80x9cboardsxe2x80x9d.
Apart from hard wiring the boards one to another, prior art methods of interconnecting the boards include the use of edge connectors carried by the boards which engage with complementary fixed connectors within a frame mounting the boards, interconnection being required between the complementary fixed connectors to provide the necessary connections from one board to another.
Such systems are inconvenient and costly, requiring numerous individual component parts, and the assembly of those parts into an interconnection system. In addition, removal or replacement of individual boards of an assembly is likely to difficult and thus introduce further cost in service and maintenance.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved means of interconnecting boards as herein defined.
According to the present invention electrical connection means for interconnecting two physically adjacent boards, as herein defined, comprises an electrically insulating body which mounts one or more electrically conducting elements, each such conducting element having a first portion adapted to electrically contact an electrically conducting part of one board, and a second portion adapted to contact an electrically conducting part of an adjacent board, to provide electrical connection therebetween.
One of said portions may be adapted to be physically attached to the electrically conducting part of its respective board, and the other of said portions to form a pressure contact with the electrically conducting part of the other board.
Alternatively the body of the connector may be physically attached to, or located upon, one or other of the two boards and pressure contact made by both portions of the connector element to the respective conducting parts of the two boards.
In one form of connector in accordance with the invention, the insulating body of the connector may lie between the boards to be interconnected, and connection may be made between contacts carried respectively by the opposed faces of the two boards.
In a further form, the boards to be interconnected may line one upon the other, and connection may be made between contacts carried respectively upon the upper faces of the two boards.
Employing a series of connectors in accordance with the invention, a series of boards may be interconnected in stack without the need for an external mechanical framework or associated interconnections.
It will be apparent that connectors in accordance with the invention provide a more ready and less expensive means of interconnecting adjacent boards one to another, and of creating an interconnected stack of a series of such boards.